The issues of arthritis, joint pain, and chronic pain, especially in the lower back are some of the biggest reasons why a lot of people go and seek out acupuncture treatments. For many of these sufferers, TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) and acupuncture have been their go-to treatment for their pain. But how exactly do acupuncture and Chinese Medicine work, and more importantly, will they work for you?
Pain in Chinese Medicine
Bi syndrome is the term Chinese medicine uses to refer to joint and/or musculoskeletal pain. In Chinese medicine, bi means obstruction. The obstruction’s symptomatic qualities will manifest features that cause one to feel hot, fixed, stabbing pain, or just achy pain. Certain persons positively respond to exercise or movement while others may feel relief with rest. Several joint and musculoskeletal disorders are set in a subcategory of bi syndrome so as to make it easy for TCM practitioners to come up with an exact diagnosis of what kind of bi the patient is suffering from. An accurate diagnosis means an appropriate plan of treatment of Chinese herbs and acupuncture can be implemented to break and relieve the blockage of blood and qi in the affected area.
How Does Acupuncture Work for Back Pain?
Acupuncture works to deactivate and eliminate the trigger points (areas of localized inflammation and constriction). The acupoints that are selected for treatment are based on the type of pain pattern the patient exhibits.
The use of Chinese medicine and acupuncture facilitates healing in a two pronged manner:
1. First, by helping to relieve the local stagnation, congestion, and inflammation, pain is alleviated.
2. After the restoration of normal local circulation, the next task is to restore the body to a more subtle and mobile state. This is done by nourishing the muscles, discs, and tendons.
Chinese Medicine practitioners believe that when a person feels body pain, specific muscles often radiate pain patterns in parts of the body not necessarily affected by inflammation or constriction. The practitioners (which include licensed acupuncturists) are trained in techniques to deactivate these trigger points. Moreover they are capable in identifying and locating these patterns; upon identifying and locating these patterns, the acupuncturist can then insert needles both to nearby and distal acupoints that correspond to the pain itself and the source of the pain. This strategy enables the acupuncturist to stimulate the energy channels in the patient’s body in order to resolve the pain while at the same time addressing the underlying energy flow within the body to treat the source of back pain.
Studies Demonstrate Acupuncture’s Effectiveness in the Treatment of Back Pain
The Archives of Internal Medicine featured a recent study showing acupuncture’s superior ability to relieve back pain compared to Western conventional treatments. The NIH (National Institutes of Wellness) funded this study which involved the participation of 638 individuals all suffering from pain. They were divided into three groups. The control group continued whatever treatment protocol they were on (physical therapy or medications) and was not given acupuncture. Another group was given real acupuncture while the last group received placebo acupuncture where the skin was not pierced but was stimulated.
Seven weeks after, the two acupuncture groups showed constant significant progress in the treatment of their back pain compared to the control group.
Because of the impressive way placebo acupuncture fared in this study, the researchers are more than ever puzzled about how acupuncture really works. What is it about the treatment that spurs recovery? All in all, only 39% of the people in the control group showed substantial gains in their back pain condition while an impressive 60% of the members of both acupuncture groups experienced significant improvements in their condition.
Why Use Acupuncture for Low Back Pain?
About 85% of the people living in the United States will experience back pain at least once in their lifetime. Economically, this condition costs Americans an estimated US $40 billion each year. Good and safe treatments are required for back pain as anyone who has suffered through this exhausting and chronic pain knows only too well. In terms of cost, effectiveness, and safety, acupuncture is an excellent treatment for back pain.
Being a specialist in chronic pain, (I’ve had hundreds of hours of training with Chinese Medicine and acupuncture), I have learned to approach each of my patient’s condition with thorough physical examination using modern and ancient diagnostic tools to correctly diagnose and effectively treat my patients alleviating their pain over the long-term. I’ve personally worked with and seen many individuals who have discovered relief through Chinese Medicine and acupuncture. Of course, I have met and treated skeptics who believed that acupuncture and Chinese Medicine won’t work for their problem. Their recovery made them believers and even adherents for these therapies. Also, more and more studies have confirmed that acupuncture works in the relief of pain. Acupuncture has enabled people to enjoy long-term treatment benefits keeping them pain-free, happy, and healthy.
Tammi A. Jones is a licensed acupuncturist in Palm Harbor, FL, practicing acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Western medical pathology. She is also the founder of Synoma Wellness Centre.
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